The Honorable Jennifer Granholm Secretary U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20585 Dear Secretary Granholm
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February 27, 2023
The Honorable Jennifer Granholm
Secretary
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20585
Dear Secretary Granholm:
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic is investigating the origins of
COVID-19. Since April 2, 2020, Committee on Oversight and Accountability Republicans have
been investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Chinese Communist
Party (CCP)’s role in obscuring the truth regarding the initial outbreak, and whether any U.S.
taxpayer dollars funded the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s (WIV) dangerous gain-of-function
research. 1 The Select Subcommittee is now the only Committee in Congress with explicit
jurisdiction to conduct this wide-ranging and important investigation.
This investigation will be a priority for the Select Subcommittee but also the global
community. As stated by 18 experts in Science magazine, “[k]nowing how COVID-19 emerged
is critical for informing global strategies to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks.” 2 Further,
according to the Lancet COVID-19 Commission, “[i]dentifying [COVID-19’s] origins would
provide greater clarity into not only the causes of the current pandemic but also vulnerabilities to
future outbreaks and strategies to prevent them.” 3 The origins of the disease that has taken the
lives of more than six million people is still unknown. 4 Uncovering the truth about the origins of
COVID-19 is vital to U.S. national security, critical to the prevention of future pandemics, and
will bring some semblance of closure to the families of those who lost loved ones during the
pandemic.
Your Department has been at the center of the origins debate, oversees the U.S. National
Laboratories, and interacts directly with the Intelligence Community (IC). Therefore your
documents and testimony are essential to informing the Select Subcommittee about what the
U.S. government knew regarding the origins of COVID-19 and when the government knew it.
1
Letter from Hon. James Comer, et. al., Ranking Member, Subcomm. on the Environment, H. Comm. on Oversight
& Reform, to Hon. Michael R. Pompeo, Sec’y, U.S. Dep’t of State (Apr. 2, 2020).
2
Jesse D. Bloom, et. al., Investigate the origins of COVID-19, SCIENCE (May 14, 2021).
3
Jeffrey D. Sachs, et. al., The Lancet Commission on lessons learned for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic,
THE LANCET (Sept. 14, 2022).
4
Id (“Theories of accidental release from a lab and zoonotic spillover remain viable.”) (“…hypothesis about both
natural and laboratory spillovers are in play and need further investigation.”).The Honorable Jennifer Granholm
February 27, 2023
Page 2
To assist the Select Subcommittee with its investigation, including but not limited to
areas involving the origins of COVID-19 and the CCP’s efforts to cover it up, please produce the
following documents and information as soon as possible but no later than March 13, 2023:
The Origins of COVID-19
1. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy regarding the origins of COVID-19, EcoHealth Alliance, Inc., gain-of-function
research, enhanced Potential Pandemic Pathogen research, the Wuhan Institute of
Virology, the Wuhan Center[s] for Disease Prevention and Control, or the People’s
Republic of China’s compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention from October
2019 through present.
2. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy and the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of
Health, or the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases regarding the origins
of COVID-19, EcoHealth Alliance, Inc., gain-of-function research, enhanced Potential
Pandemic Pathogen research, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, or the Wuhan Center[s] for
Disease Prevention and Control from October 2019 through present.
3. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy and the Executive Office of the President, including but not limited to the Office
of Science and Technology Policy and the National Security Council, regarding the
origins of COVID-19, EcoHealth Alliance, Inc., gain-of-function research, enhanced
Potential Pandemic Pathogen research, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the Wuhan
Center[s] for Disease Prevention and Control, or the People’s Republic of China’s
compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention from October 2019 through present.
5. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
6. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy and the Wuhan Center[s] for Disease Prevention and Control.
4. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy and EcoHealth Alliance, Inc (including its predecessors: the Wildlife Preservation
Trust or The Wild Life Trust).
5. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy and the following regarding the origins of COVID-19, EcoHealth Alliance, Inc.,
gain-of-function research, enhanced Potential Pandemic Pathogen research, the Wuhan
Institute of Virology, or the Wuhan Center[s] for Disease Prevention and Control:
a. The Wellcome Trust, including but not limited to Dr. Jeremy Farrar;The Honorable Jennifer Granholm
February 27, 2023
Page 3
b. University of Texas Medical Branch, including but not limited to Dr. James
LeDuc;
c. John Hopkins Center for Health Security, including but not limited to Dr. Tom
Inglesby;
d. Scripps Research, including but not limited to Dr. Kristian Andersen or Dr.
Michael Farzan;
e. University of North Carolina, including but not limited to Dr. Ralph Baric or Ms.
Antoinette Baric;
f. Tulane University, including but not limited to Dr. Robert Garry;
g. Columbia University, including but not limited to Dr. W. Ian Lipkin;
h. University of Edinburgh, including but not limited to Dr. Andrew Rambaut; and
i. University of Sydney, including but not limited to Dr. Edward Holmes.
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
8. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy regarding the classified report produced around May 2020 regarding the origins
of COVID-19 by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
9. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy and the Department of State regarding the classified report produced around May
2020 regarding the origins of COVID-19 by the Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory.
10. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence regarding the classified
report produced around May 2020 regarding the origins of COVID-19 by the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory.
11. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy and the Executive Office of the President, including but not limited to the
National Security Council or the Office of Science and Technology Policy, regarding the
classified report produced around May 2020 regarding the origins of COVID-19 by the
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.The Honorable Jennifer Granholm
February 27, 2023
Page 4
The Department’s Intelligence Assessments
12. All classified and unclassified assessments of the origins of COVID-19 prepared by the
Department, including but not limited to those from the National Laboratories, from
January 2020 through present.
13. A list of all non-governmental experts, including their affiliations, consulted in the
preparation, formulation, or drafting of any assessment regarding the origins of COVID-
19, disaggregated by which assessment the experts consulted on.
14. A list of all pre-prints, peer reviewed, or otherwise published research or scholarly
papers, articles, or manuscripts consulted or used in the preparation, formulation, or
drafting of any assessment regarding the origins of COVID-19, disaggregated by which
assessment the sources were used.
15. All classified documents, communications, cables, reports, or other materials relied upon
in the preparation, formulation, and drafting of any assessment regarding the origins of
COVID-19, disaggregated by which assessment the sources were used.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Origins Assessment
16. All documents and communications between or among employees of Department of
Energy regarding the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Assessment on
COVID-19 Origins.
17. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Energy and any component of the Intelligence Community regarding the origins of
COVID-19, EcoHealth Alliance, Inc., gain-of-function research, enhanced Potential
Pandemic Pathogen research, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, or the Wuhan Center[s] for
Disease Prevention and Control.
In addition to the requested documents, the Select Subcommittee may request employees
of your Department sit for transcribed interviews.
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic is authorized to investigate “the
origins of the Coronavirus pandemic, including but not limited to the Federal Government’s
funding of gain-of function research” and “executive branch policies, deliberations, decisions,
activities, and internal and external communications related to the coronavirus pandemic” under
H. Res. 5. Further, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability is authorized to investigate
“any matter” at “any time” pursuant to House Rule X. To schedule the interviews or ask any
follow up or related questions please contact Committee staff at (202) 225-5074.
Thank you for your attention to this very important matter.The Honorable Jennifer Granholm
February 27, 2023
Page 5
Sincerely,
Brad R. Wenstrup, D.P.M. James Comer
Chairman Chairman
Select Subcommittee on the Committee on Oversight and
Coronavirus Pandemic Accountability
cc: The Honorable Raul Ruiz, Ranking Member
Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic
The Honorable Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member
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